


False Protector

by SHINee64



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Because I was so excited about having comeup withan idea after years of watching, I thought up a serial killer and forgot to plot out the romance, Just realised Hayley would still be there in those seasons maybe, M/M, My space bar doesn't like working and we all have to deal with that, Season one or season two timeframe, So maybe more plot based?, So uhhh we're pretending they split a while ago, thank you for your understanding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-16 17:14:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29457306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SHINee64/pseuds/SHINee64
Summary: The team gets a case where each crime scene shows a double murder, with two different MOs at each one. A spot of poison here, a brutal, blunt force attack there, and they go to investigate. Somehow, I'll have Reid and Hotch get together but I was so excited about coming up with a plot for the killer that I forgot to plan out the romance. It'll be a surprise to us all, okay? Okay.
Relationships: Aaron Hotchner/Spencer Reid
Comments: 4
Kudos: 30





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> As stated in the tags, I forgot about Hayley and Hotch still being together (going through a re-watch, so it's weird seeing her) in the early seasons. In this, I'm pretending they split earlier, but still have Jack, so please excuse what I'm calling creative liberties. It's my first fic in actual years. Thank.

I do not own anything but the shitty laptop I wrote this fic on (the good old ‘I don’t own Criminal Minds or anything much’ disclaimer)

AN: This is my first Criminal Minds fic, and I haven’t actually written fics since I was a cringey, young teen. Please keep that in mind, constructive criticism is very welcome! Additionally, I don’t know if Triazolam/Halcion can be bought in America or not anymore? But for this, we’re pretending it can be. Thanks!

* * *

“You know, when they said- they said-!” A quiet, frightened moan drew his attention to the girl half sleeping on the bed, her tear streaked face scrunched up. He exhaled, deflating, before walking toward her.

“It’s okay, Kayleigh, I’m here to save you this time. He won’t, he can't get away this time.” Her hair was smooth beneath his hand as he gently caressed her head. When she turned her head away from him, her response muffled by the cloth in her mouth, he patted her hand before getting up. Across the room, a man struggled against his bindings. He too had cloth in his mouth, and handcuffs fixing his arms to the chair he was on. Blood and fear marred an otherwise handsome face, as did a significant amount of bruising and cuts.

William, the man, squinted as his attacker turned to him again, terrified of having his attention once more. He flinched when the attacker addressed him. “You thought you could get away with it, didn’t you? You thought I wouldn’t find out? You thought I wouldn’t be able to avenge her?” Spittle sprayed from his lips as he started to yell, raising the bat in his hand as he advanced on William. The girl on the bed cried as she watched one stranger kill another, petrified she would be next. Petrified she’d suffer in different ways before suffering the same fate. Terror woke her up more, and when the man came over, pulled the cloth out of her mouth, and offered her a foul smelling drink, she swallowed it all to try and please him.

* * *

“Come on, pretty boy, you hiding a special someone from me?” Morgan’s suggestive brow had Reid frowning, but there was still a small smile there.

“If I answer ‘no’, you say I’m protesting too much. If I say anything else, it’s essentially a ‘yes’ to you. I’m not answering that question anymore.” Reid shook his head as he slung his bag over the back of his chair, ignoring Morgan’s laughter.

“Elle, what do you think?” Elle looked up from her report, a smile to match Morgan’s on her face.

“I think you harassed me just the same way, Morgan, so I’ll side with the doctor on this occasion.” Morgan’s playful protest was cut off by Hotch’s voice.

”Conference room, everyone, JJ’s got us a case.”

“The latest victims are 26 year old Amanda Harris and 27 year old William Ford. William was, well, severely beaten, there’s significant blunt force trauma.” JJ frowned at the slide of the man slumped dead in a chair he was tied to, her expression mirrored by most of the team. “They’re the latest two, with three like it beforehand.”

“Why did this take so long to get to us, if this is the fourth scene like it?” Morgan’s brows were furrowed, disbelief colouring his voice. Hotch sighed, frustrated as well. “They were going to contact us earlier- the second and third scenes were found at relatively the same time. But they had to wait for us to come back home from our last case. In that time, another double murder occurred. These bodies are being found in rundown areas, most have been reported by people looking for places to do and deal drugs, or transients looking for places to sleep that they’re not going to get kicked out of.”

“There’s a lot of anger in that attack, did both victims look like this?” Elle winced in sympathy at the man’s battered face.

“No, the other victim, Amanda, had no physical trauma. I mean, she had some bruising from restraints, but that’s it.” She clicked along a slide to a brunette on a bed.

Reid leaned back in his chair, staring at the woman. “She’s positioned to look like she’s asleep, were there any signs of sexual assault?”

“Thankfully, no. And that goes for all prior scenes, as well. We’re waiting on toxicology, but it’s expected to come back as poisoning from aconite and a whole lot of triazolam.”

“Monkshood and Halcion?” Reid’s surprise lifted his brows, and Hotch turned to look at him.

“You know much about them?”

"Yeah, aconite, or aconitum, is more commonly known as monkshood, wolf's-bane, devil's helmet, among other things. It's given the monkshood name for the sepal on the flower resembling a hood or, or the old fashioned cowls worn by monks. All parts of the plant are poisonous, from root to flower. If you-"

“That’s alright, Reid, thanks for the botany lesson. Alright, so there’s one person savagely beaten and another poisoned and restfully positioned. Does local law enforcement think there are two killers?” Gideon clasped his hands on the tabletop while looking to the rest of the team.

JJ shrugged. “It’s a working theory, but there’s not much left at the crime scenes at this point. Between the first and second double murder, there was a gap of about three months. Between the second and third, it was about a month. Then between the last two, it was just over two weeks. He’s moving faster.”

“And it looks like they’re getting more brutal.” Hotch was looking at a comparison photo of the males in each crime scene.

Morgan gestured between photos of the different female victims. “What about the ligature marks on the neck of the first woman killed? There weren’t any on the others, right?”

JJ nodded, going to a slide with the first two victims. “Yeah, the toxicology report showed that the amount of poison ingested was a lower dose than that of the later murders. Still enough to kill her, though, but I’m guessing not fast enough.”

Gideon nodded, “So he gives the later girls higher dosages and learns from his mistake - he doesn’t want to strangle the women.”

“Or,” Elle had shifted in her chair, stealing a sip of Reid’s coffee. “If there’s a second killer, they didn’t do a good enough job, and the aggressive one got involved when it took too long.” Gideon seemed to shrug in acknowledgement before getting up from his chair.

“We can discuss it more on the plane.”

_‘Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage..’ - Anaïs Nin._

* * *

“Elle and Morgan, you go to the first and second crime scenes. JJ and I’ll talk to the local enforcement, and we’ll see what Penelope can give us. Hotch, you and Reid go to the latest two scenes. Alright?” Gideon waved the others off as he and JJ got in their own car.

Reid looked at Hotch and raised his brows, then tucked his hair behind his ears as he headed towards the passenger seat of their own car. He’d had a bit of difficulty trying to act normal around the man, noticing that his heart rate would increase, sometimes his face would heat up, and that he had an incredible urge to fidget when he had Hotch’s attention. Given how increasingly aware he was becoming of Hotch, it seemed like he had it quite often. 

It’d been a growing inconvenience for him, and he was just quietly hoping that, if left alone, it would go away. 

In their last case, Hotch had pushed Spencer out of the way of a gunshot, and they’d stumbled together when Reid tripped over his own feet. Hotch had landed on him, and while Gideon shot the person they were pursuing, Reid felt faint staring up at Hotch. It’s not uncommon at all, for their team to get close or bump into each other when running around on the field, and normally, Spencer wasn’t bothered at all. 

But he was becoming quite bothered with Hotch. 

“Reid, do you have any further thoughts on the case after the discussion on the plane?”

Pulled out of his daydreams, Spencer looked over to Hotch, saw his rolled up sleeves from when they were getting off the plane and coming into the heat, and then turned again to look out the front window. Wetting his lips, he started.

“Monkshood wouldn’t be that hard to grow once it’s established, but it’s less common for males to resort to poison, statistically speaking. It lends credence to theory that it could be a team doing the killings, because the brutality does suggest male, as well. The triazolam is a, uh, medication taken for insomnia, commonly sold as ‘Halcion’. Combined, I imagine the triazolam would put the victim to sleep while the aconite poisoning kills them.”

Hotch frowned, flicking a glance to Reid before focusing back on the road. “So the women aren’t awake to suffer any of the other side-effects of aconite poisoning? I think that further shows remorse; the killer doesn’t want them to suffer. It’s such a stark comparison between the two victims at each scene.”

“Yeah. Hey, remember how the first female victim had been strangled _and_ poisoned?” Hotch nodded. “Well, I think that when the killer realised they’d not given the woman enough of the aconite, or triazolam, they figured strangulation would be less bad to suffer through. Or at least faster.”

“Strangulation is quite personal, and brutal. It’s face to face, and the killer hasn’t shown that kind of anger towards the other women.”

“No, but they have kept them clothed, they’re positioned as if they’re peacefully sleeping. The side effects of aconite, especially not enough for a quick death, would further contradict that image. I guess the ‘unsightly’ effects would be nausea, vomiting, diarrea, sweating. The killer doesn’t seem to want the victim’s suffering, either, but further symptoms include stomach pains and a burning sensation in your mouth and on your tongue. I’d theorise that the killer knows that, probably has experience using this as a poison on others already, even. They chose a faster strangulation on an already weakened person.”

Hotch hummed in thought a moment before pulling the car into a park. He looked at Reid again and patted his shoulder lightly, his hand staying there a moment longer than Reid thought normal. Even giving his shoulder a little squeeze before letting his hand drop.

“That’s a good theory, generally there’s some sort of precedence with murders like this that aren’t done out of passion. Good work, Reid.” Reid sat there a moment to calm his breathing as Hotch headed towards the first scene.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I own diddly when it comes to Criminal Minds.  
> I think now is a good time to advise that I am not American, and so for any inconsistencies or the like, please be understanding. Do let me know about them, though, because I can make note of it for future fics!  
> This chapter’s a bit larger than the last, too

Upon returning to the local field office, Hotch updated the team on details about the crime scenes after seeing them in person, followed up with Reid’s theories. They heard about Elle and Morgan’s as well, but there wasn’t much to it considering how long ago the crimes had occurred.

“What have you got for us, sweetness?” Morgan answered his phone with a smile, and laughed at something Garcia said before putting it on loudspeaker. “Alright, baby girl, you have everyone’s attention.”

“Hello! Okay, so there’s nothing really tying these victims together. As in, none of them are related, they’re not friends online, and none of them live all that close to each other - so no apartment buddies. I  _ did  _ find out via social media that a few of them are, well  _ were _ , keen on clubs and bars to some degree.” Her chirpy tone dropped at little when she corrected herself.

Elle cut in. “So that’s where they’re grabbing the victims?”

Hotch nodded. “At least a few of them went missing after nights out, mostly the men. Garcia, what about the last three women, any connections there?”

“Not yet, sir. Honestly, I don’t think I will find anything at this point. I’ve poked around their financials already as well, they didn’t even shop at the same places for the most part.”

JJ’s frown took a sad edge before she spoke up. “There’s nothing to indicate that the unsub was stalking them, right? What if they’re just picking up women as the opportunities to do so present themselves?”

Gideon steepled his fingers, nodding thoughtfully. “They pick up the men first, who by a fair number of accounts have sub-par manners in these clubs and bars they frequent, and then goes looking for women the next day. Why?”

“I said to Elle at one of the scenes earlier, these women weren’t high risk,” Morgan lined up the photos of the women beside one another on the table. “This unsub, or these unsubs, didn’t seem happy with the first girl, the one taken from a bar. They don’t want women from what they may deem bad areas.”

“That works with what Reid was saying earlier, I think.” Hotch gestured to the three later women’s pictures. “They don’t want them to suffer, they take women who are possibly ‘pure’ in their eyes. They all share similar physical attributes, as well. Likely symbolising someone the killer -or killers- had a close and positive connection to. There’s too much care taken with them to indicate the link between them is negative.” Hotch’s eyes scanned over the four brunettes again, blue and green eyes of the four now permanently closed.

“So you think the first girl taken from the club dissatisfied him?” Gideon posed the question at Hotch, but it was Reid who answered.

“I think it was their first killing like this, so I’d theorise they didn’t know it would be, hm, displeasing? Until after they’d already taken her.”

* * *

The team made their way to the hotel they were staying in for the duration of the case. Spencer had spent an hour or so shifting around on a thin mattress until he gave up and ventured from his room. 

He was staring at the vending machines near the lobby when Hotch came up behind him, his quiet voice startling Spencer more than he’d care to admit in the silent building.

“A gourmet midnight snack, whatever will you choose?”

“I’m torn. I don’t think I’ve seen anything like trail mix in a vending machine before, so I’m hesitant on it. But chocolate bars don't last all that long.”

“I imagine the chocolates are more fresh at least, given their popularity. Though the sugar won’t help you sleep.” Hotch came to stand beside Spencer, his shoulder bumping the younger man’s lightly.

“Not much does. Half a trail mix with me?” He regretted it immediately, but he’d offered without thinking. He wet his lips before purchasing it, his voice quiet as he bent down to pick up the packet. “Although, you’re probably right on it being old, so maybe don’t. What’d you come down here for?”

“Half a pack of trail mix.” His equally soft reply had Reid quickly glance at him before looking back down at his hands, fingers playing with the edge of the packaging as he stood up.

“I uh, well. This works out nicely?” His voice getting higher at the end made him think of Morgan’s joking about his terrible dating record, which led him to thinking about Hotch dating. He clutched the packet close to his chest before lifting his head to see Hotch, noticing the man had been staring at him the whole time.

“Want to step outside to where it’s cooler? Maybe we won’t feel the need to nearly whisper.” He held Reid’s gaze before heading outside, the younger man following a moment later.

Leaning against railing out the front of the motel entry way, Reid was focusing maybe more than necessary on opening the packet without outright ripping it. The railing was low enough that it wasn’t overly comfortable to lean against, really, and he was sure paint was chipping off and he’d find flecks of it just above where his shirt tucked into his pants. Still, it was an alright height for his wrist to rest on it, making it easy for both of them to mindlessly pick out dried fruit and seeds from the packet Reid held between them.

"Reid.” He turned at his name, Hotch’s continued eye contact making him glance away. “Where would you like to be? If you could choose to be anywhere, doing anything. With anyone.”

His fingers fiddled with the collar of his shirt before carding through his hair. “I-I uh, I don’t know. Maybe a convention?” A nervous smile shaped his lips, eyes focusing on Hotch’s shoes instead of his face. Uninvited, the memory of Hotch saving him in their last case came to mind. How his hands held Hotch’s waist after the fall, keeping the man in place above him. Originally, he’d only done it as a part of falling; grabbing onto Hotch, trying to steady them both. The touch felt incriminating to him, too revealing considering how long he’d stayed like that, looking up at the older man’s face. 

“A convention?” The question pulled Reid From his memories, his voice louder because of the surprise.

“Yeah, or a science museum. Maybe a cafe that lets you read old books from their shelves while you drink. I think… I’d like to hear my mum reading Chaucer to me in a place like that.” The end of his sentence was a mumble, but he shoved away any daydreaming again and looked up at Hotch once more. “What about you?”

“At a park with Jack, I think. Maybe even one of those butterfly or bird sanctuaries, he seems to be interested in those right now. If you were there, you could tell him a million facts about every bug and animal that catches his eye.

“You know, actually, bugs  _ are _ animals.” He smiled at the older man before wetting his lips nervously, knowing that Hotch couldn’t have actually flicked his eyes down to note that. Surely. “Are you saying that, um, that I’m present in this scenario of your happy place?”

“Am I?” Hotch’s face didn’t change, his little smile still in place as his gaze seemed to fracture Reid’s clear thinking abilities. “It’s late, why don’t we turn in now, hm? Goodnight, Reid.”

His response was delayed and quiet while the implications of what Hotch might have meant were playing in his head. Still, he knew Hotch would have understood his mumbled reply.

* * *

Hotch and Gideon met in the room local PD had cleared for them, a map with a geographical profile in progress taking up a large part of space on the table. Hotch started, sensing Gideon wanted information before sharing his own.

"Garcia tried enhancing the sound in dashcam footage the police shared with us from when one of the female victims was taken, the car was in the park beside the UnSub. Nothing came of it, though, the UnSub didn’t say anything during the abduction. Now, she’s scouring the tapes from the car park surveillance cameras to see if anything was missed when local PD went over it before."

"If anyone's going to pick up something on those videos, it'll be Penelope." 

"My thoughts exactly. We’ll get an update once Garcia's done. From what she has been able to see, though, it looks like just the one UnSub."

Gideon nodded before leaning back in his squeaky chair. "I sent Morgan and Reid to meet with the owners of a couple bars downtown, see if they can find anything regarding the males taken."

"Let's hope they come up with something, because there's hardly anything for finding out who this is. A profile only gets us so far." Gideon hummed, his nearly ever-present frown reappearing.

"This will be as close as you get to club hopping, huh, Pretty Boy?" Morgan's grin drew a huff from Reid. They'd been in three thus far and found nothing as yet. This trip was only making Reid dislike clubs more. Seeing them in the light of day did nothing to make them look better.

"I'm only doing this because I'm getting paid, you know. Also, ‘club hopping’?"

“Yeah, man, going from place to place throughout the night. I’d say you should try it, but my kind of fun isn't really your style.”

Morgan shook his head and walked into the last one. He knocked on the bar, calling out a ‘hello’ as he cast a look around the room. JJ had called ahead to let each owner know Morgan and Reid were on their way, but they’d moved a little faster through their list than expected.

“The FBI guys, right?” A man walked out from what was likely a storage room, slipping a phone into his pocket. 

“Yeah, agents Morgan and Reid. You’re the owner here, right?” Morgan shook the man’s hand, and Reid nodded in greeting instead.

“Linehan, Ben Linehan. And no, I don’t own it, but I do run it.” He frowned at Reid before looking back to Morgan. “He old enough to be an agent? To be in here?”

“Actually, I normally go by Dr Reid, and yes, I’m old enough to both be in here and be an agent. I moved through my education at an accelerated rate. When I-”

“Reid, it’s fine. We're looking for a man who is able-bodied and strong, and doesn't hang around the ladies all too much. He's taken another male from outside this club before."

The bartender sighed, resting his palms on the counter. "Look, I try to make this an inclusive place, but a lot of the 'men's men' go to the place on the corner instead of here. Maybe you should ask there instead?"

Reid shook his head, fidgeting with his clothes a little before talking again. "We're uh, not looking for a homosexual male, just a man taking male victims. He seems to have a habit of trying to lure out men who may ah, may be a little less than well-mannered with the ladies they're interested in."

The bartender's eyebrows lifted, tapping his fingers on the bar. "You know, I have a friend who, really, Jake's kind of a dick." Morgan nodded when the bartender looked at him. "He's not bad all the time, but when he's out drinking? He's not great. Anyway, Jake was waiting for me to get off work by the bar, and he's 'chatting up' some chick who caught his eye earlier." His fingers sketched air quotations before he leaned forward, resting his forearms on the bar.

"So anyway, she's not keen, because he's being a bit of an arse, and I see this dude starin' from a little way's back. He's lookin' pretty mad, too. Like, where you try to hide it but you're doing a shitty job? So anyway, he comes up to Jake when he's talking about taking this lady home, and when she walks away, this guy starts talking to Jake. I don’t know what was said, but he put his arm over Jake's shoulders as if they were gonna walk out together. I didn't see what happened after; I had drinks to be serving, but it made Jake uncomfortable."

"Think you could get us in contact with Jake?" Morgan had taken over the conversation, which Reid thought was for the best since the bartender nearly carded him.

* * *

The team were in the main area of the police building, the last of the currently rostered officers coming into the room. Hotch stepped up front, his voice clear yet not overly loud, a skill Reid had been trying to perfect.

“This Unsub is not overly sophisticated, He’s staying in his comfort zone and taking people where there have been no witnesses thus far. This demonstrates a somewhat confident knowledge of the area. He’s going after specific types of people, as they have to fit the image he holds in his head in order for this to work.”

JJ walked up to the board showing photos of the victims, pointing to the first woman. “This UnSub’s first female victim was from a club, and none of the subsequent women were. We believe he wants what he views as ‘better’ women, else it ruins the scenario he’s built up in his mind.”

“This is further confirmed by the fact that he’s not going for easier victims.” Gideon got up from his seat, hands clasped behind his back as he slowly walked around at the front of the room and continued. “He murders these people in industrial sites, abandoned residential areas, but he doesn’t take people that are already in these places. No sex workers, homeless poeple, or people there to take and sell drugs away from prying eyes.”

Elle continued when Gideon looked at her. “The more aware and proactive the public is about this, the angrier and more reckless this UnSub will get. We'll prepare a media release in this investigation that will warn everyone of the kind of people this man is after, and the danger he poses. He’s already escalating, as seen by the time between abductions and murders getting shorter. Serial killers often get sloppy when they speed up; we’re expecting and hoping he makes mistakes.”

“This man is capable of fitting in enough to avoid suspicion, but he doesn’t have close friends or family that will notice the significant change in his schedule.” Morgan’s gaze went to the board of victims before going back to the officers he was speaking to. “Given that he’s taken these people both day and night, he’s got a lot of free time on his hands. A flexible roster like that of a sole contractor, or maybe he’s sitting on older money and doesn’t have to work normal hours.”

Reid nodded at Morgan before taking the last points they’d discussed. “Generally, poison is seen as a woman’s weapon, and is statistically less likely to be used by men. Regardless, aconite is something generally grown instead of purchased, and his ability to use it consistently suggests he may have used it in the past. If it was specifically aconite, which doesn’t show up in normal toxicology reports and presents as asphyxiation in most cases, it’s either not recorded as the cause of death, or will significantly narrow down our suspect pool. Unfortunately, if the UnSub used it as a slow poison over a span of time in the past, we’re even less likely to find out about it. He’s currently mixing it with Triazolam, or Halcion, which is a drug used for insomnia. This ensures the female victims are not awake for the poison symptoms” 

As the team got ready to leave, Hotch re-addressed the officers again. "We're waiting on a possible witness to come in and provide a description of someone who may be our UnSub. We'll give you more updates when we have them. Thank you for your time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Responses  
> lifecaughtinyoursway - Thank you! I’ve done years upon years of reading fics, so I know what you mean about kryptonite. Thank you for commenting!  
> wheelsup - Thank you! I may be slow-ish with updates, but I hope the future chapters give you the same feeling. Thank you for commenting!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can claim no ownership of things Criminal Minds related except my daydreams and thoughts, which brought about this story.

“Hello, beautiful. Now behave, I’ve already got everyone listening to you.”

“You know I love an efficient man, sugar. Alright, so in all my majesty, I have been able to get a licence plate from the camera in the car park beside the service station. I called you while I was searching his address which I’ve just found. I’m sending it to you all... now.” A couple chimes went off in the room as Hotch stepped out the doorway to beckon the lead officer in.

“You really worked your magic, Elle told us how blurry those videos were.”

“I am offering my incredible talents to mere mortals, I know.” Gideon was ushering everyone out of the room while Morgan brought the phone to his ear.

“Thanks, Tech Goddess.”

  
  


The team pulled up in front of the house with a few local police cars, vests on and weapons drawn. Gideon and Hotch went to the front door while others stood aside, or went around the sides and back of the house.

“FBI, open up!” He briskly knocked on the door, but lowered his firearm a little when an elderly man opened the door.

“FBI? What- what are you doing here?”

“Sir, is Victor Banks present?” He and Hotch wore matching frowns when the man’s face crumpled.

The man’s voice broke, his eyes dampening. “My Victor? My boy? He passed away. We lost him only a week ago.” 

Gideon re-holstered his gun and let out a sigh, Hotch stepping into his place while Gideon radioed the others.

“We’re terribly sorry for your loss, sir. We came here because it appears the car in your son’s name was used in a number of abductions. Do you have his car here?”

Gideon had Garcia on the phone as he reached his car, the old man’s story already confirmed. 

“Yes, I’m very sorry, sir. There’s no death certificate yet because it’s so, so new, they can take up to ten days. Again, I’m very so-”

“I get it, Garcia, could he have done anything before passing? Just in case the most recent abduction is unrelated.”

“Well, since you mentioned what his father said, I started looking in hospital records instead of financial -he passed away after an operation failed, he was set to receive a liver transplant. By the look of it, he wouldn't have been healthy enough.” Garcia’s words were quick and coloured with guilt at having wasted time chasing down a deceased man, but she sensed that if she apologised too much Gideon would only get more annoyed. She didn’t know if it was a relief or not when the call was suddenly terminated.

* * *

Spencer had been the first to return to the office, and was twirling a pin between his fingers as he stared at the map on the table. He set it down in favour of drinking coffee, keeping his eyes down as Hotch came into the room. He sat down beside Reid, leaning closer to look at the map. 

“Think you’re done there?”

“Yeah, just about.” Without moving his eyes from the map, he pushed a second coffee cup towards Hotch, his teeth worrying his bottom lip. He untucked his hair from behind his ears lest Hotch notice them turning red. 

Hotch muttered a quiet ‘thank you’ before the others started filing into the room.

“So, with Banks out of the running, we’re back to square one?” One of the local officers had followed the team in, frustration evident at the failed arrest attempt.

“Not quite.” Hotch leaned back in his chair, putting a normal distance between he and Reid, and to Reid, allowing the younger man a better chance at a normal breathing pattern. “The plates were likely stolen when the old couple used the car to go to the shops. But they weren’t just taken off the car, they were switched with another car of the same make and model.”

“So why aren’t we going to the house of the person who owns the switched plates?”

Morgan cut in, having been speaking to Garcia the most recently. “They’re _also_ registered in a deceased person’s name, though we do have an APB out on it so whoever is actually driving it will be caught.”

“The address Garcia gave of the deceased owner with the switched plates? It fits where I’d expect it to on the map. Who owns it now?”

Hotch got Garcia on the phone again, placing it in the middle of the table for everyone to hear.

“What have you got in regards to the person registered for the licence plates, Garcia?”

“Well sir, it’s a touch messy. It was first registered to a Nathan Langham, who died of liver disease. Which is a bit of a coincidence with our Victor Banks, but there’s no connection there. When he passed away, it went to his wife, who looked after it for a few years. When sadly enough she passed away, it went to their oldest child, their son Justin Langham. He and I would imagine his sister used it for a while, but she got her own car not too- oh.”

“Oh?” Elle questioned.

“She passed away, looks like alcohol poisoning at a pretty wild party. She uh, it was two weeks before the first murder.”

“I’d say that’s his stressor, this Justin is looking real good for being the UnSub. What have you got on him?” Elle moved from leaning against the wall to taking a seat at the table, lacing her fingers together. 

“Justin seems to have been quite close to their mum, but was _very_ distant from their dad. Looks like their father was a bit of a drinker. Actually, quite a lot, I’d say full alcoholic. Let’s see, uh… When their father passed away, it seems like they were doing a bit better. There wasn’t an autopsy done on the father, but the general sentiment seems to have been that everyone knew what he was like, and he was unwell for a while. The mother was just, frail. Not old, but just not doing well, and she too passed away. Justin’s socials show he wasn’t too keen on his sister’s -Kayleigh's- boyfriend.”

“Was there ever any conflict between the boyfriend and Justin?” Hotch’s calf bumped against Reid’s and stayed there. Reid sat straight up in his seat, using both hands to hold his coffee cup and still his nervous hands. Hotch looked the same as ever; determined, focused, like it could’ve been an accident, though he didn’t move away. Neither did Reid.

“Twice. At the hospital after Kayleigh was pronounced dead, Justin and Wade got into a fight, reports state Justin started it, and only stopped with security intervening. Secondly, he -ah. When it was declared an accidental death and everything was ‘finalised’, Justin reportedly attacked Wade again; he firmly believed Wade was at fault.”

“Thanks, Garcia.” Hotch terminated the call and looked to the rest of the group, stopping at Morgan when the man spoke up.

“With an alcoholic and abusive father, growing up in a poor neighbourhood, Justin could have become real protective of his sister. Learning she died of alcohol poisoning? That would have hurt bad after their father’s abuse of it. More so when the boyfriend _he_ deemed unworthy was there to witness it.”

“It would explain the brutality of the male attacks, and why he gets them from drinking establishments. He blames the boyfriend for not protecting his sister as Justin himself was already doing. Maybe sees both the boyfriend and the father in these men, further explaining the excessive ferocity. What about the women?” Gideon looked at Reid, seeing the thoughtful look on the youngest team member’s face.

“His sister died in a way he didn’t approve of. She died because of the same substance that made their father the villain he was to them. I’d say that’s why he didn’t like the woman picked up from a bar; it reminded him of what he views as a fault, a betrayal to himself and his memory of his sister. But since she _did_ die of alcohol poisoning, I think he was trying to recreate, or correct, her passing with something he doesn’t view as unacceptable.”

Another of the local officers stepped in the room, passing a composite sketch to Gideon. A few quiet sentences passed between them as Gideon looked at it. He slid it over the table to JJ.

“It's time for a press release; this matches the photo Garcia sent through of this Justin character. This places him at one of the clubs where an abduction later occurred, there’s motive there, and he displays behaviour consistent with the theories we have.” 

Hotch turned to JJ as she got up. “JJ, release the man’s name, face, and car to the media. I don’t believe we’ll find him at the family home, and this means the public will be on the lookout.”

“I’ll also reaffirm that he’d likely be looking for a man tonight and a woman tomorrow?” At Hotch and Gideon’s nodding, she left the room, phone already pressed against her ear.

* * *

For the second time that day, though it was now late afternoon, the team and local enforcement were surrounding a house. Though they were all confident Justin wouldn’t be at the family home, the press release was being held off until they confirmed it, just in case he was foolish enough to stay but was scared off before they got there. 

Hotch counted up to three, then Morgan kicked open the door for he and Gideon to go through first. A string of people shouting ‘clear’ confirmed their suspicions, though Morgan ended up finding a mess of cut up plants in the kitchen with an infuser nearby that still had plant matter in the strainer. 

“Don’t touch anything, we’ll have CSI come through to confirm what this is.” Gideon had an arm in front of Morgan, preventing him from leaning over the kitchen counter full of evidence.

“Guys, come out here.” The team followed Reid’s voice to the back yard, where an impressive garden filled it. In the corner by the back fence, Reid was crouched down beside metre high plants in full, blue bloom. “I found the aconite, and it looks like some plants were recently pulled up. Nobody touch them, ingesting and unprotected contact are both bad.”

“Why pull up the whole plant? Wouldn’t you just take cuttings?” Elle was the first to reach Reid, having been outside already.

“While toxins are present throughout the whole plant, the majority of them are in the roots.”

“This confirms Justin was working alone, too. He had the plants, the infuser in the kitchen, and in all the footage it’s a man of his height and build doing the abducting.”

Hotch sent a message to JJ advising she go ahead with the press release while the team left the house for CSI to take over evidence collection.


End file.
